Mochi

This is mochi. It is very delicious. And pink. Well if you dye it pink. And you should.

So I went to the Chinese Market about 30 minutes from Provo with some of my roommates last weekend. I didn't get much that I wasn't familiar with, mostly stuff that is at the Korean Market in my hometown. (Or even my grocery store. Who knew I was so spoiled at our local stores in CA?) 

So, me being half Japanese (if you didn't know that, you can read my rant) I picked up some random stuff, but mostly got Mochiko, some mochi bits for ice cream and smoothies and such, and of course, chocolate mochi ice cream. Okay, I don't even know how common it is in Japan to eat mochi, but my grandma used to make it at holidays and it has good memories for me. Plus it tastes amazing.

What is mochi you ask? Well I can't say that I wasn't a little surprised that none of my roommates knew what mochi was (except the one from china) cause apparently I live in a little California bubble where most people have at least heard of mochi ice cream. I mean come on, it's the way americanized version of a japanese dish. I think. I'm not really that asian guys.


(Sold at wonderful places like Trader Joes. If you don't have one near you... sorry?)

Well Mochi is a Japanese dessert (Well I think you can have it more savory, but seriously, why not make it a sweet?) made from rice. There's a whole long process of soaking, cooking, and pounding, rice to make mochi, but thankfully now you can buy a box of Mochiko (sweet rice flour) and cook in in the microwave. Or buy it at asian markets.

If some of you think you have never seen mochi, you may have seen this stuff at a frozen yogurt place. It's mochi.

ehh bad picture. But trust me, it's usually there. At least in CA. But apparently I live in a bubble, so maybe not.

Okay besides this little lesson on Japanese food for you guys, I was posting because I made bibingka (it's actually a Philippino dessert) and my roommates were intrigued. It's pretty delicious if-I-say-so-myself, especially if you aren't sure about mochi, this will slip you into it a little easier.

Because when you make mochi it's just the sweet rice flour, water, and sugar and cooked into deliciousness together. But this recipe adds egg and milk and sugar and vanilla to it, topped with brown sugar and coconut and baked. If any of you want the recipe, ask and I'll update the post with it. Otherwise, I'll keep it in the family.  Bibingka recipes are pretty varied on the web, so I don't know how authentic or not mine is, but it is yummy.

It can look kinda like this, But my recipe has more topping and a little gooier looking.